Dallas Cowboys Blog

Should the Cowboys have buyer’s remorse after extending CB Orlando Scandrick’s contract?

Not long after they failed to land Nnamdi Asomugha during a breathless pursuit of the prized jewel of the 2011 free-agent class, the Cowboys decided to give fourth-year cornerback Orlando Scandrick a five-year, $27 million contract extension.

The move raised a few eyebrows because Scandrick, a four-year veteran, was a slot cornerback positioned behind Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins on the depth chart.

But defensive coordinator Rob Ryan raved about Scandrick’s potential throughout training camp and management viewed him as a player capable of developing into a suitable replacement for Newman in the near future.

Yet this season Scandrick did nothing to ease concerns that the Cowboys acted prematurely when they rewarded him with a boatload of cash and a long-term deal.

Week after week, he left the field without making much of a mark.

He made one interception and despite being regarded as the team’s best pass-rushing cornerback he collected only two sacks – one of which was recorded when Miami’s Matt Moore retrieved a fumbled snap and was scrambling to salvage a broken play.

For Scandrick, the production was disappointing. But he did little to make up for it in coverage. Among players who were on the field for at least 25 percent of their team’s snaps, Scandrick was rated the 83rd-best cornerback in the NFL, according to ProFootballFocus.com. Quarterbacks completed 69.4 percent of the 62 passes they directed toward Scandrick, who yielded 540 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Scandrick’s worst performance came in the final game of the season, when the Cowboys were battling the New York Giants for the NFC East title. In what was perhaps the most pivotal play of the night, Giants quarterback Eli Manning crushed the momentum Dallas built when he averted the pass rush on third-and-7, spun out of the pocket and heaved a pass downfield to Victor Cruz in the fourth quarter. Cruz jumped over Scandrick to make a catch as the Giants picked up a first down and moved 44 yards into Cowboys’ territory.

Soon thereafter, they would finish off the drive with a field goal that pushed their lead to 10 points. At that point, the Cowboys were back on the ropes. And it wouldn’t take long before the Giants finished them off with a knockout punch that was delivered immediately after Scandrick replaced an injured Newman.

In a play that unfolded in a matter of seconds, Manning threw a quick fade to Hakeem Nicks, who blew past Scandrick to make the catch in the end zone and seal the Cowboys’ fate in the Giants’ 31-14 victory.

For Scandrick it was a bitter ending. On this night, the final one of the season, Scandrick yielded four completions for 95 yards and a touchdown. The quarterback rating against him? A perfect 158.3.

That’s not what the Cowboys had in mind when they showered him with money before the season. But that’s the harsh reality they face as they set their eyes on 2012, when they hope Scandrick will offer a greater return on investment than he did this season.